A comparative study on the health and well-being of adolescent immigrants in Spain and Portugal

Abstract

The terms on which the integration of new generations of immigrants into Portuguese and Spanish societies happens will have a decisive influence in the future of both countries. Therefore, promoting their health, well-being, and psychosocial adaptation is a matter of strategic interest. This paper analyses psychosocial factors associated with well--being and psychological adjustment on a sample of 108 adolescents (55 males and 53 females), children of immigrants from Huelva (Spain) and Algarve (Portugal), aged between 10 and 17 years. Adolescents were assessed for demographic characteristics and perceived well-being. We used the "KIDSCREEN-5", a self-report questionnaire that yields detailed profile information for children aged 8 to 18 years for the following ten dimensions: Physical well-being, Psychological well-being, Moods and emotions, Self--perception, Autonomy, Parental relationships and home life, Financial resources, Social support and peers, School environment, and Social acceptance (Bullying). Overall, significant differences were found between the Spanish and Portuguese samples on physical well-being, psychological well-being, mood, financial resources and social acceptance (bullying). Boys perceived themselves as having a better physical well-being than girls. Mothers' educational level was associated with psychological well-being and mood. Also, results suggested that residence location and other socio-demographical variables were not associated with the adolescents' well-being and psychological adjustment.

Factors Associated With Body Image Perception Among Brazilian Students From Low Human Development Index Areas

“…Firstly, body image perception and its correlates tend to be designed and constructed differently between genders (Ribeiro & Oliveira, 2011). Sociodemographic characteristics, such as low socioeconomic status and opportunities for health education, as well as limited resources and access to health services; behavioral factors such as physical activity, eating habits, sexual behaviors, alcohol, and tobacco use; and individual aspects, for example, nutritional status and self-rated health, have been associated with difficulties in dealing with perception of body image among adolescents (Cortês, Meireles, Friche, Caiaffa, & Xavier, 2013; Hernando, Nunes, Torres, Lemos, & Valadas, 2013; Lamis, Malone, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, & Ellis, 2010; Langoni et al, 2012; Lundberg et al, 2011; Reina et al, 2013).…”

“…Most previous studies were conducted in developed countries (Farhat et al, 2014; Hernando et al, 2013; Lamis et al, 2010; Reina et al, 2013), while studies involving adolescents from socially vulnerable areas are scarce. Areas with high social vulnerability are common in low-and middle-income countries; this vulnerability is usually considered when the Human Development Index (HDI) is up to 0.699 (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2016).…”

Calidad de vida y competencias sociales: un estudio comparativo entre adolescentes nativos e inmigrantes de España y Portugal

“…En primer lugar, podemos afirmar que los adolescentes inmigrantes de ambos países tienen percepciones sobre su bienestar y salud bastante satisfactorias, con puntuaciones medias altas, lo que se muestra en sintonía con otros estudios (Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006;Hernando, Nunes, Cruz, Lemos, & Valadas, 2013;Monardes, 2012). Sin embargo, con respecto a la calidad de vida percibida, tenemos que matizar que, si se analizan de forma individualizada cada una de las dimensiones, los resultados obtenidos en nuestro estudio confirman que los adolescentes nativos, tanto de España como de Portugal, obtienen un índice de calidad de vida (CdV) superior a los de los sujetos inmigrantes.…”

The Effect of Migration Phenomenon on Adolescent Mental Health

“…(36,37) Dolayısıyla, ergenler için dalgalı olan bu süreçte, uyum sorunları, davranışsal, ruhsal ve duygusal sorunların ortaya çıkma olasılığı daha da artmaktadır. (25,38) Ergenlerde göçe bağlı olarak en sık karşılaşılan sorunların, kimlik karmaşası ve düşük benlik saygısı (5,8,21) , depresyon (5,8) , anksiyete (28) , çift dilden kaynaklanan sorunlar (5) , toplumsal reddedilme (37) , akranlarla sorunların fazla olması, davranışsal sorunlar (39) , düşük akademik başarı (8) ve düşük yaşam doyumu (40) olduğu görülmektedir. Ergenlerin gelişimsel süreç içerisinde yaşadığı zorluğa göçün yarattığı zorlanmaların da eklenmesiyle etkili baş etmenin güçleştiği ve baş etmek için madde kullanı-mının, suça karışmanın, aile ve akranlar arasında şiddet ve intihar olgularının arttığı da ortaya konmaktadır.…”